Charity welcome ‘important first step’ but want clear timeline on mental health reforms

A charity has called for “firmer commitments” on mental health reform following the Queen’s Speech.

Rethink Mental Illness said the Government’s commitment to reforming mental health legislation was an “important first step” but it also called on ministers to set a clear timeline for action.

The Government pledged to “reform mental health legislation and ensure that mental health is prioritised in the National Health Service in England”.

Commenting on the news, Danielle Hamm, associate director of campaigns and policy at Rethink Mental Illness, said: “The Mental Health Act isn’t working, we need a fundamental review to make it fit for purpose.

“Today’s commitment to new mental health legislation is an important first step. However we will now want to see firmer commitments to a comprehensive review and a clear timeline as this is an urgent issue for so many people.

“The Government will need to work in partnership with people affected by mental illness, as well as professionals working in the sector, to ensure that new legislation respects the rights and dignity of anyone detained under it.”

The Mental Health Network, the voice of mental health and learning disability service providers for the NHS in England, welcomed the news.

Its chief executive, Sean Duggan (pictured), said: “The Mental Health Act has played an important role in supporting people who have reached the point of crisis, but it is nearly 35 years old and clearly needs refreshing.

“It would have been a mistake to scrap it and start from scratch without undertaking a full review. So we support the proposal for reform and in particular identifying why the number of detentions under the act have risen by around 10% year on year since 2010/11.”

Saffron Cordery, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: “We welcome the Government’s continued commitment to mental health set out in the Queen’s Speech, with specific proposals to review the ongoing suitability of the Mental Health Act 1983.

“However, we know that local authority and social care funding cuts have placed significantly more pressure on mental health community services. This is reducing their overall accessibility and ability to respond, meaning that people are reaching crisis point before they seek help. We must not think that legislative reform is the way to address this gap in much-needed support services on the ground.

“We welcome that there will also be a specific focus on mental health services for children and young people, funding for these services has been overlooked for too long with wider implications for a very vulnerable group.”

During her campaign, Theresa May pledged to tear up outdated mental health legislation.

She said she would produce a new Mental Health Treatment Bill to replace the 1983 Mental Health Act, which is widely regarded as flawed.

But mental health reform is listed under “non-legislative measures”, saying the Government will “begin to consider what further reform of mental health legislation is necessary, including changes in how the Act is implemented on the ground”.

These considerations will include looking at why rates of detention under the Mental Health Act are increasing; examining the disproportionate number of black people are detained under the Act; review Community Treatment Orders, to see if they remain fit for purpose; and how to protect people with mental health problems from discrimination.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, said: “We welcome the Government’s proposals to reform mental health legislation, including the Mental Health Act. Being detained under the Act is one of the most serious things that can happen to someone in terms of their mental health and, at over 30 years old, the current legislation is outdated and not in line with the principles of modern healthcare.

“In the last 10 years in England, we have seen a 47% rise in the Mental Health Act being used to detain individuals, with BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) people disproportionately affected. These figures show that neither the Act, nor wider mental health care, is working as it should to support people when they are unwell.

“Changing the Mental Health Act is a mammoth task and needs to be done properly.”

Professor Sir Simon Wessely, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “After years of neglect and underfunding it is great that the Government has promised to make mental health a priority in the NHS.

“The plan to review mental health law is also an important step, and we especially welcome the acknowledgement that this cannot be rushed, and needs to take into account the views of patients, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals.”

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